J-K: Army pays tribute to 3 soldiers killed in encounter

The army on Wednesday paid tributes to three soldiers who were killed in action, two of whom lost their lives fighting terrorists on August 17 and one died when he fell into a gorge during a snow blizzard while on patrol duty.

"Late Grenadier Ravi Kumar Singh and Late Grenadier Prashant Singh were leading the search team in pursuit of terrorists who had opened indiscriminate fire on a joint checkpoint of the CRPF and the JK Police at Kreeri in Baramulla District on August 17," an Army press release said.

In the encounter that followed, three terrorists were killed while the two jawans also lost their lives after sustaining injuries, it said.

"The bravehearts were the first to come in contact with the terrorists during the pursuit. In the ensuing fight, three terrorists were eliminated, but late Grenadier Ravi Kumar Singh and late Grenadier Prashant Singh sustained gunshot wounds. Despite being grievously injured, they continued to fight. They were subsequently evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar but unfortunately succumbed to their injuries."

While late Grenadier Ravi Kumar Singh was 26 years old, late Grenadier Prashant Singh was 25, the release said.

Late Grenadier Ravi Kumar Singh had joined the Army on 20 Jun 2013.

Apart from the two jawans, the army on Wednesday also paid rich tribute to late Havildar Rajendra Singh, who lost his life after falling down a deep gorge on January 8 during a snow blizzard while on patrol duty. The army recovered his body on August 15, which could not be done earlier due to inclement weather.

"Late Havildar Rajendra Singh, 39 years, while on a patrol along the Line of Control was caught in a severe snow blizzard on January 8 in Rampur Sector of North Kashmir. He lost his footing and fell down a deep gorge. Owing to the inclement weather, heavy snowfall and high altitude mountainous terrain, multiple rescue attempts made subsequently had failed. The teams were unable to reach the spot which had got buried under snow owing to the severe winters through the season. The mortal remains of Havildar Rajendra Singh were finally recovered on August 15 buried under two feet of snow," the release said.

(ANI)

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